Chapter 121: The Great Prince

The Empress Dowager is probably afraid that Wan Tang will poison Lady Qi, right? The people in this Imperial harem are truly heavy‑hearted.

Wan Tang really can't leave; the Empress has already arranged that when Lady Qi's child is born, the child on Xu Luoyan's side will encounter trouble. If Wan Tang stays here, she will have the most perfect alibi.

Yes, according to the plot development, in a little while Xu Luoyan will recklessly rush out of Jingren Palace to settle scores with Wan Tang. The people the Empress placed have already been waiting for the chance, ready at any moment to push Xu Luoyan and smear dirty water on Wan Tang.

Plotting against the Imperial Heir is a capital crime; how can Wan Tang possibly explain herself!

Wan Tang hurriedly pulled her hand into her sleeve, trembling slightly.

Stay here, and the Empress Dowager will drive you out.

Once you go back, it will be hard to clear the suspicion.

Even if one keeps yielding, one will be blamed for mismanagement, and the authority to co‑manage the Imperial harem will naturally be lost.

Wan Tang cast a secret glance at the Empress and gritted her teeth hard.

Xiao Mingshu still wore a kind demeanor, standing outside, caring about Lady Qi.

But Wan Tang knows in her heart that Xiao Mingshu's concern is not for Lady Qi; it is clearly for the child in her womb.

The moment the child is born, it becomes the Xiao Family's most advantageous piece, if it is a Prince. Both Wan Tang and Xu Luoyan become threats.

Wan Tang had repeatedly shown weakness before, which allowed her to avoid death.

But now the Prince has been born; can Xiao Mingshu still tolerate the Imperial harem's authority falling into someone else's hands?

Well played, a one‑stone‑two‑birds move; truly ruthless!

Ah!

Another heart‑rending scream pierced the night from the hall, Lady Qi's voice hoarse beyond recognition.

Chu Yunzheng's expression changed slightly; he stepped forward a few paces and, in a deep voice toward the hall doors, said, "I am right here; you must give birth to a Prince for me!"

Xiao Mingshu immediately supported the Emperor's arm, a tear glistening at the corner of her eye: "Emperor, don't be anxious; my younger sister is blessed with good fortune."

Her fingertips trembled, showing a worried‑as‑flames virtuous demeanor, "I have already sent someone to invite Master Zhang to perform the rites."

The Empress Dowager's attendant Gui Grandma seized the opportunity to step forward, grabbing Wan Tang's arm: "Lady Wan, please return; this place is heavy with inauspiciousness, and colliding with your pregnancy would be even worse."

Wan Tang was in a dilemma when she suddenly saw the imperial physician rolling and crawling, lunging to the steps.

"Bang—" he knocked his head with a loud sound: "I, the humble minister, should die! Blood… the blood won't stop!"

Before the words finished, the hall doors were violently thrown open.

The midwife, hands soaked in blood, staggered out, fragments of flesh still clinging between her fingers: "The child's head is too large! It's stuck in the birth canal and won't come out!"

She fell to her knees with a thud, "This will cost two lives!"

Fēng xuě suddenly raged.

The Empress Dowager's prayer beads snapped with a "pop", the sandalwood beads scattering across the floor.

Xiao Mingshu swayed her body, then shouted sharply, "Save the Prince! Must save the Prince!"

Chu Yunzheng's face turned ashen, his arm beneath the dragon robe trembling slightly.

In ancient times that's the problem; when a woman goes into labor, she is crossing the ghost gate.

Nowadays it's better; a Caesarean is perfectly possible. Moreover, Lady Qi's fetus is only a bit large, making delivery difficult. Such cases are now very common.

Exactly, at worst just a side incision. When I gave birth, I ran out of strength; the doctor saw the child's head, I hadn't been given anesthesia, and I heard a "click" as the doctor cut below.

I am an obstetrician; I'm familiar with this!

Wan Tang listened, her heart shaken profoundly.

Back then my mother faced the same situation; if it were truly that simple, perhaps my mother wouldn't have bled so much and could have survived?

Wan Tang became a little dazed.

Gui Grandma seized the chance and shoved her hard: "Hurry up and leave!"

Wan Tang staggered backward, but at the moment she was about to fall, a strong arm steadily caught her.

She looked up, meeting Chu Yunzheng's bottomless eyes.

"Emperor, this is for Lady Wan's sake," Xiao Mingshu said, eyes wide in disbelief.

Chu Yunzheng, however, pulled Wan Tang closer, his voice as cold as ice: "By my decree, Lady Wan shall co‑manage the Six Palaces; today, it ends here."

Wan Tang looked up at Chu Yunzheng, showing gratitude.

In this moment, having someone protect her felt truly wonderful.

As soon as Chu Yunzheng finished speaking, the Empress Dowager's complexion darkened abruptly, the prayer beads in her hand clicking in her grip.

Xiao Mingshu's peripheral glance caught the Empress Dowager's expression; she stepped forward a pace, feigning compliance, and said softly, "Mother, since the Emperor has spoken, we have no choice but to abandon it!"

"Absurd!" the Empress Dowager snapped, her murky eyes coldly sweeping over Wan Tang, "What can she do here?"

Fēng xuě howled, Wan Tang thrust her swollen belly forward, taking a step: "I dare to speak, and I am willing to help Lady Qi give birth."

"Nonsense!" Xiao Mingshu shouted sharply, her golden phoenix Step Shake shaking violently, "You, a woman of the inner palace, dare to meddle in matters even the imperial physician cannot handle?"

The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, turned her face away, refusing even to glance at her.

Chu Yunzheng hurried forward, grasping Wan Tang's icy hand: "Tangtang, this is no joke; you are pregnant, be careful in everything."

"I know," Wan Tang lifted her gaze, a trace of pain flashing in her eyes, "When my mother suffered a difficult birth back then, I was right beside her."

Her voice trembled slightly, "I watched helplessly as her life drained away, bit by bit."

"Now the same situation recurs, and I refuse to stand by idly."

"Even if… even a little effort helps."

Wan Tang spoke sincerely.

Although she cannot escape the court's power struggles, she does not wish to watch death without intervening. Lady Qi has opposed her but never harmed her; staying here now can preserve her life.

Since fate dictates, she is willing to risk a try.

She turned to look at the imperial physician and the midwife kneeling on the ground: "The imperial physician's skills are superb, yet ritual law prevents him from approaching; the midwife knows the art of delivery, but lacks medical knowledge."

She inhaled deeply and declared firmly, "Although I am not a physician, at the brink of life and death I am willing to cast aside convention and take a chance."

"How dare you!" Xiao Mingshu trembled with anger, "You don't even care about your own body? If you were to collide with the Emperor, what would you do then?"

"Enough!" the Empress Dowager abruptly shouted, her gaunt fingers pointing straight at Wan Tang's abdomen, "A child is already on the brink of death, and you still want to risk the Imperial Heir in your womb?"

"I, as a concubine, do not wish to see the Emperor saddened; I also wish to accrue blessings for the child in my womb," Wan Tang's voice affirmed.

The Fēng xuě intensified, whipping the lanterns before the hall into frantic sway.

The cold wind lifted the hem of Wan Tang's skirt, yet she stood upright, her gaze blazing as she looked toward Chu Yunzheng.

Unexpectedly, a flicker of doubt flashed in the Emperor's eyes.

He stared at Wan Tang for a long while, then finally nodded slowly, "Go."

"Emperor!" Xiao Mingshu exclaimed in disbelief.

At this moment, Lady Qi is already like this, and she isn't afraid of what Wan Tang might do to Lady Qi.

Rather, she fears that Wan Tang might truly be able to save Lady Qi.

The Empress Dowager sprang to her feet, scattering prayer beads across the floor.

But Chu Yunzheng waved his hand, "Everyone step back, let Consort Wan enter."

Wan Tang bowed low, and amid the onlookers' shocked or resentful gazes, she straightened her back and walked toward the blood‑stained palace door.

As she approached the doorway, she glanced back once.

Chu Yunzheng stood in the Fēng xuě, his bright yellow dragon robe rustling loudly in the wind, his expression complex and unreadable.

A heavy scent of blood assaulted her inside the hall; Wan Tang inhaled deeply and crossed the threshold of life and death.

From behind came the Empress Dowager's voice, "If you can save the Prince, I shall reward you handsomely."

"If you only seek to show off, Consort Wan, my tolerance of you has reached its limit!"